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First, you have to catch the
lobsters. Becca and Emily, cousins and offspring of Cundy's
Harbor's oldest lobstering family, found a few crabs in the traps, too.
Instead of throwing them back as usual, they saved 'em for us.
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After 3 1/2 hours of hauling, the girls
had about 100 lobsters to take to market. This little basket of
goodies was our take-home souvenir. Heeey, you guys - want to go home
with meeeeee?
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As I survey the available ingredients,
the dish begins to take shape. Surprise: like many of the best, it
begins with some melted Irish butter. We retrieve the basket of goodies from our
dock, where it's been suspended in sea water since we made landfall.
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While everyone else screams and runs
from the room, I dump the crabs and lobsters into a massive pot of
simmering sea water, clap on the lid, and hum "And the sailors say
'Windy, she's a fine girl -- what a good wife she would be...'" Soon enough the
blushing kids are ready for their close-up, and the others straggle
back into the kitchen.
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I want to take
advantage of the amazing amount of flavor that's in the crab shells
themselves, so I hack them up, whole. It takes muscle. In they go with
the butter and a couple of shallots; then comes a spectacular flambe
(using about 2 cups of brandy).
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Next into the pan is a quart of heavy
cream. This is a classic French technique for Sauce Nantua, and
once, in England, I made a captivating crayfish soufflé in the
same way (read the story of that dinner in my next book, The Relaxed Kitchen, St Martins Press 10/07). This
mixture simmers for an hour, for maximum flavor transference.
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While the creamy concoction simmers, C.
and Virginia volunteer to remove all the delectable lobster meat from
the shells, and dice it. (Why, you may now be asking, didn't we just
eat them the classic way, with melted butter and bibs? Weeell, 'cause
we did that last night.) Here, Virginia appears to be
stealing a bite.
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After the shells are strained out of
the sauce, I warm it up in a big pot and add the lobster meat.
The dish needs a bright, vegetal note to balance the rich goodness of
the crustaceans and cream, and what could be better than some
sautéed zuchini blossoms. The pasta water is boiling, and
it's show-time.
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Just like the stunning (but
hard-working) harbor that lent the newly-minted dish its name, Cundy's
Harbor Linguine will live on in our memories. Alongside is a pale
green, butter lettuce salad sporting a jaunty, lemon-kissed vinaigrette.
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The tide is in, bellies are full, and
beds are a only a few steps away. Is there anything better?
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